Selling authentic, designer VERO items

[Pushkin]

First, let me just say this forum is amazing and I'm very happy to have found it! I, like a lot of you, have had never-ending problems with eBay and have lost a very healthy stream of income from it, unfortunately. I haven't found anyone in my search of this forum that had my exact problem, so I was hoping for my first post I could explain my situation quickly, and hopefully someone can give me some ideas of how to go about remedying it, especially if anyone has been in a similar situation:

For the past few years I've been selling high value branded items. About $5,000-$10,000 a month in authentic designer clothing and accessories. Essentially what I do is buy designer goods on eBay itself (after years of experience I can generally find about ten to twenty items per week that I can make at least $150 profit on each) and then resell them. These are all designer items mostly, so Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Ferragamo, etc.

Frustratingly, my account has been suspended, presumably forever, and I am stuck with tens of thousands of dollars in shoes, clothes, etc. which I have no platform to sell from. EBay is my main source of income right now, and I'm totally at a loss for what to do.


SO, after doing some research into stealth and how to operate an account, I bought one from Aspkin (50/$5,000). However, obviously I'm not going to be able to sell these designer goods on a new account, so I would like some suggestions of how to go about doing it. I originally was going to start with just this one account, but from what I've read here on the forum it seems like a better idea to buy five accounts or so and start aging them all right away. I also read here that for an account to become "mature", it should be aged 90 days from the date of the first sale, have at least $250 in transaction history, 25 sales, and something like 10 feedback. My primary question is thus: if I age an account for 90 days without listing any VERO items, and exceed all the above requirements (ex. 75 feedback, $2,500 in transactions, 100 transactions, etc.), will I have a good chance of being able to list VERO items?

I know no one will be able to give definitive answers, but 90 days is a long time without my primary source of income, and before I buy more accounts I was hoping someone could shed some light on this predicament. Maybe someone has been in a similar situation?

I would be willing to pay an awful lot of money at this point to have an account that I could sell VERO items from again, but it doesn't seem like any sellers offer such accounts here.


Thanks to anyone and everyone for any suggestions/gestures of hope! I really appreciate it.

[glacier922]

Vero is extremely difficult. eBay can suspend you on the first listing, it has happened to me. You could be spending a lot of money buying accounts here, and all of them get suspended the second you list a risky item. That would be gambling your money away. The best thing to do is change your business model. If you want to continue to sell legit vero items, best to master the art of account creating.

[phaz0rz]

That's so-so advice considering it costs roughly the same to create an account as it does to buy a 5/500.

OP - I sell tons of high risk "Vero" items on stealth accounts purchased from here. Even on new ones sometimes, although I wouldn't recommend that due to the risks. Sometimes you can list risky items on a new account without any problems, and sometimes you simply can't.

I suggest you purchase maybe 5 of the cheap 5/500 accounts from here (or whatever the equivalent is in UK) and start aging them. Stagger your purchases so you are launching a new account every 2 weeks or so. That way you are able to dedicate all of yourself to nurturing a new account for at least two weeks. Continue your same business model of buying and reselling on the same venue for a profit, just scale it down for a few weeks. Start out with some items in the $1-$20 range until you're at least at 10 (selling) feedback. Then slowly start transitioning back into the clothes you usually sell.

It's as simple as that. Running a stealth account truly isn't any different than running your personal account. As you build a reputation on each account and prove yourself to Ebay, they will begin to trust you and allow you to do more. Losing an occasional account for whatever reason is inevitable, which is why redundant selling accounts are highly recommended.

[MM78]

Originally Posted by Pushkin

SO, after doing some research into stealth and how to operate an account, I bought one from Aspkin (50/$5,000). However, obviously I'm not going to be able to sell these designer goods on a new account, so I would like some suggestions of how to go about doing it. I originally was going to start with just this one account, but from what I've read here on the forum it seems like a better idea to buy five accounts or so and start aging them all right away. I also read here that for an account to become "mature", it should be aged 90 days from the date of the first sale, have at least $250 in transaction history, 25 sales, and something like 10 feedback. My primary question is thus: if I age an account for 90 days without listing any VERO items, and exceed all the above requirements (ex. 75 feedback, $2,500 in transactions, 100 transactions, etc.), will I have a good chance of being able to list VERO items?

You can be VERO'd at any time...and I'm sure you are aware of that. YOu sell High End Merchandise which can be a super risky area.

I know no one will be able to give definitive answers, but 90 days is a long time without my primary source of income, and before I buy more accounts I was hoping someone could shed some light on this predicament. Maybe someone has been in a similar situation?

You still need to age the accounts before listing your merchandise you want to list. Just buying an account and letting it sit isn't going to get you where you need.

I would be willing to pay an awful lot of money at this point to have an account that I could sell VERO items from again, but it doesn't seem like any sellers offer such accounts here.

Let me just say this, Ebay isn't dumb....if you buy an account that has met the requirements for "No Holds" you can still get hit with holds, why? because if the account your purchasing has not sold the same merchandise as yours or the dollar value as your items....ebay is going to get protective and hold that money, so you would just be wasting your money and time and probably be pissed off.

[glacier922]

Originally Posted by phaz0rz

That's so-so advice considering it costs roughly the same to create an account as it does to buy a 5/500.

Wait a second here, you mean it costs you 50 bucks to make a stealth account?

[MM78]

Originally Posted by glacier922

Wait a second here, you mean it costs you 50 bucks to make a stealth account?

Kinda expensive for making one's own account.

[phaz0rz]

Originally Posted by glacier922

Wait a second here, you mean it costs you 50 bucks to make a stealth account?

Not quite, but it's close when you consider the cash put on a vanilla visa.

$23 for the vanilla visa, $5 for a phone, $10 for airtime. Of course the $20 on the vanilla visa is spendable, but it's still money out of my pocket.

Ok so it may be cheaper to make them yourself. But considering OP's experience level I figured premade accounts would be way easier for them.

[MM78]

Gift Card (3 Pack) $55, $18 per card
Sim Card: $5

[GreenBean]

Originally Posted by glacier922

Wait a second here, you mean it costs you 50 bucks to make a stealth account?

Depends on the ingredients you put into the account.

US$50 is my top limit for creating a US stealth account.

These I make in April with a view to full activity from November onwards.


First sales after Black Friday, I recoup the costs...

And the cycle continues.

[rsot]

Welcome to the forums - all the best as you master stealth it works...

[nodeal]

Some name brands are more strict than others. If you can assess which names are easiest to sell and stick to mostly those, that should decrease your chances of losing an account.

[benny77]

whats the meaning by vero? sorry im newbie

[cool customer]

Originally Posted by benny77

whats the meaning by vero? sorry im newbie

This should help you out

http://www.aspkin.com/forums/ebay-di...onym-list.html

Selling those brands is always risky. Even on a strong account (as you found out)

The only way I'd feel safe selling those types of items is on multiple accounts. For every account that goes down, make another 2. It doesn't cost anywhere near $50 in the UK to make a standard sellers account.

I don't think you will ever be able to sell these brands long term on one or two strong accounts.

[glacier922]

Originally Posted by GreenBean

Depends on the ingredients you put into the account.

US$50 is my top limit for creating a US stealth account.

These I make in April with a view to full activity from November onwards.


First sales after Black Friday, I recoup the costs...

And the cycle continues.

How do you activate a high quality phone in Australia? Can you have a SIM card in Australia with an American phone number?

[Ubaida]

However you go about it, you need many accounts. You don't want to work one account up like you did and if you get suspended then spend another 90 days or so to start selling again.

I agree with phaz0rz advice about getting 5 or even 10 - 5/500 accounts. According to your numbers, one sale would more than make you money back for the cost of the account and some.

Work them up and after 90 days you'll have many options. If any get suspended, replace it and work it up while you still have otters to sell from.

[unkown5454]

you'll be rotating accounts forever with no receipts or proof of authenticity. not really a solid business plan but good luck